That trailer thread is getting messy and contentious but I seriously liked what you said about the pillars being used as a compositional element in conjunction with (or ratheragainst) the movement established in the preceding shot. Hadn't thought of it that way.

I'd like to give Bay some benefit of the doubt as far as his cinematography goes, even if I don't agree with some of his other methods. I'm not gonna say that he sat down for every single shot to decide what each will precisely convey (that's a storyboarder's job, dammit!), but I'd like to think he's the type with the natural aesthetic instinct to call such shots, no pun intended.

Mostly male and female gender roles seem to be a powder keg. Arcee being symbolizes something that I do not quite get either. I am happy seeing Arcee out of pink and white coloration. Her build is more built for speed and not heavy armor like a tank. Fighting styles is for speed and agility not straight out combat perhaps Windblade is suited for.

I've grown to feel the same way. I'm too attached to the property to see the movies objectively on the first viewing, but I see them, then the reality seeps in over the course of about six months. After that last dose of reality that was DotM, I've thoroughly been conditioned not to expect anything other than the status quo. When people talk about Stunticons in the movie, it just reminds me of how I used to be. Or when they speculate if the green truck really is Hound. I'm just thinking, "Even if it's called Hound, do you really think it's going to be Hound? C'mon, guys..."

That being said, I've learned to enjoy the movies for what they are. Come what may.